Valley secession leader Richard Close, right, is longtime president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. and co-chair of Valley VOTE. (BRIAN VANDER BRUG / LAT)
Gray Panther Lillian Kohn of North Hollywood, right, disagrees with a secession supporter at a news conference on May 24, 2002 in Van Nuys. (BRIAN VANDER BRUG / LAT)
A 26-acre salvage yard in Sun Valley where people pay a fee to retrieve parts from old vehicles. (GEORGE WILHELM / LAT)
A woman carries bread and pastries as she walks down Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima. (GEORGE WILHELM / LAT)
A group of horse owners in Chatsworth head for the hills north of the 118 freeway. (GEORGE WILHELM / LAT)
Alvin and Rica Montano, who moved to the Valley from the Philippines, operate a hot dog stand at the Van Nuys Courthouse, an area noted for its gang activity and high serious crime rate. (GEORGE WILHELM / LAT)
A dog romps in Warner Ranch Park near high-rise office buildings in Warner Center, the west end of the Valley’s business district. (GEORGE WILHELM / LAT)
From the bridge at Mulholland Drive, looking north along the San Diego Freeway in the Sepulveda Pass, the lights of the 222-square-mile San Fernando Valley glow in the distance. (BRIAN VANDER BRUG / LAT)
